Begin By Floating
by SpecialAgentJim
Summary: A ficlet about a swimming lesson. Radek doesn't like the water...or does he? Written from Radek Zelenka's point of view. OneShot ZelenkaWeir but not graphic. COMPLETE please R&R thanks!


**DISCLAIMER -- **I don't own _Stargate: Atlantis. _It is owned by MGM and other companies. I am writing this fic purely for fun and not for profit. No suing...please! 

**RATING -- **Let's say K+ (so my bum will be sufficiently covered.) 

**SPOILERS --** None, that I'm aware of

**SUMMARY --** A hypothetical future ficlet about a swimming lesson. Radek Zelenka doesn't like the water...or does he? A story told from Radek's POV. ZelenkaWeir but not graphic. OneShot

** A/N -- ** This fic relates to another of my stories called "Reflections On Water" and makes a bit more sense if you read "Reflections On Water" first. I got the idea for this one from the last line of the other one. The bit about holding the head comes from my own life experience. As a child, I nearly drowned and my older cousin was the person who rescued me. When I was a bit older, I got brave enough to learn to swim. My friend's father was the one who told me to start with floating, and he put his hands under my head to make sure I didn't go under.

Anyway, this story is ZelenkaWeir, so I apologize in advance if that's not your 'ship. Have fun!

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**Begin By Floating**

"You begin by floating," Elizabeth says.

It had taken months for Radek to build up his courage for this moment. He'd worked hard, telling himself every day that he had nothing to fear. He'd planned carefully the words he would say, how he would phrase the question he needed to ask. He had imagined his own expression – not overwrought or too anxious – and the look on the face of the one to whom he would address the request. _Perfect._ It appeared so perfectly in his mind and then, like so many things, what really happened turned out to be wildly inconsistent with the picture in his head.

He meant to have asked Colonel Sheppard for a swimming lesson. They would have approached it scientifically, like the professional men they are. Radek could picture the colonel being near enough for safety but not so near as to be awkward. This was a good thought, a relatively safe thought despite the necessary involvement of a large volume of water. Colonel Sheppard, however, is not the person teaching Radek to swim. He grimaces when he considers that he hasn't even gotten the chance to ask the colonel about it. So much for the best-laid plans of men, he thinks. Still, he can conjure up worse scenarios. Rodney might have been the one to convince him now is the right time to swallow his fear and take the proverbial plunge.

Several of the Atlantis expedition members have come to the mainland for the day – Saturday, according to Radek's calendar – for some much-needed recreation and rest. The afternoon is warm. Further down the beach from where Radek is, Colonel Sheppard and Major Lorne are teaching some of the Athosians to play volleyball. A few people have arrived with the single intent of sunbathing and reading a good book. Nearly everyone else's preferred activity is swimming. Many of Radek's friends would never miss the opportunity to swim in the ocean.

Radek replays how he ended up here, sitting chest-deep in the water with Elizabeth kneeling behind him. She had called to him to join her. She's done this before, beckoned from her place in the water for him to leave the sand and wade into the sea. He'd almost done it once before. Today, some impulse has made him reckless, heedless of any risk and now he's nearly in over his head, or so it seems to him.

"Lean backward," says Elizabeth. "Put your head in the water."

He hesitates. "I am not certain I can."

"It's all right," she says. "I won't let you go under. You're not ready for that, yet."

Because he trusts her, he believes she'll keep him safe. He leans backward, puts his head in the water as she asked. He can feel his hair floating outward. The water tugs gently at it, like the fingers of a lover. Elizabeth's hands are under his shoulders. Each digit creates a distinct sensation against his body. He closes his eyes, feels Elizabeth's hands slide upward until they are cradling his head, flesh-and-bone fingers in his hair now instead of the ocean's uncanny caress.

"Relax," Elizabeth's voice is distorted by the water in Radek's ears.

He does it systematically, coaxing the tension out of each muscle in his body, starting with his toes. He breathes deeply. He feels himself slowly drifting upward in the water, away from the anchoring sand. The sensation of being weightless alarms him, and he gasps. His chest tightens and he realizes he is sinking again. He struggles upward.

"I can't…" he says.

_Can't what?_ Says a voice in his mind. _Can't do this? Can't trust Elizabeth? Can't conquer your fear?_

Can't breathe.

He feels Elizabeth's hand on his back, patting awkwardly but gently. His wet hair is falling across his eyes. Elizabeth leans in close, whispers to him that he is doing just fine and that he should try again. He's startled and pleasantly surprised to hear her say this to him in Czech. The revelation takes his mind off what he is really doing. He knows Elizabeth speaks a lot of languages, but he hadn't known one of them is his native tongue. He asks her about it.

Elizabeth laughs. "I don't speak Czech, really."

"Your Czech sounds very well to me," he tells her.

"I only know a smattering of it. Several phrases. The basics."

"I could help you learn more," he says. He feels embarrassed, and adds quickly, "In exchange for swimming lessons."

"I'd like that," Elizabeth says.

"Can we try again? I think I am ready."

"Of course," says Elizabeth.

This time, he doesn't panic when he feels himself begin to float. He takes deep, even breaths. He concentrates on Elizabeth's hands under his head. He knows the two of them have probably gained an audience by now, but he doesn't care. He's floating. Never in a lifetime would he have imagined this was possible. He barely notices when Elizabeth removes her hands, just for a few seconds, and he drifts In the water all on his own.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Radek lies on his back and listens to the sounds of Atlantis. It's dark, and he's warm and dry beneath the blankets of his bed, but when he closes his eyes he can imagine he's still on the mainland. He can pretend he's adrift in the sea, staring up at the blue sky with its decoration of fluffly cumulus clouds. He thinks he might even be able to smell the sandy, salty aroma on his skin. He imagines the sound of Elizabeth's voice with her charming American-accented Czech. _You're doing fine. You should try again._ Tonight, in the mess hall, he'd taught her some new Czech words while they'd had sandwiches and tea together. _You are beautiful. You make me very happy. I'm glad you are my friend._

Radek feels as if he is still floating. Perhaps it's a trick of the mind, an illusion that comes in the moments between waking and sleep. Then again, maybe it's something else. He can't stop thinking about Elizabeth. What had she said?

_You begin by floating._


End file.
